Lesson Two of my KFP curriculum consists of various activities to explore the pros and cons of local foods and conventional foods based on economics, the environment, and quality.

To explore the economic characteristics of local foods, we took a field trip, of course! One of my lovely mentors, Mack Johnson (Horticulture Extension Agent), invited my class to a seminarat the Robeson County Extension Office on modern horticulture by THE Bryce Lane. In case you don’t know who Bryce Lane is, just check out one of his Emmy winning “In the Garden” episodes at http://video.unctv.org/program/garden/.

 Just plain awesomesauce!

Back to the field trip: I decided to use this chance to make a day-long field trip for any interested agriculture education student. We began at 8:30am and visited a Gray’s Creek farm, S&K Growers owned by Mr. Ryan Kennedy, and ended the day with a visit to Geraldine’s Peaches and Produce Farm in Lumberton, NC, owned by the Herring family (in the middle was THE Bryce Lane.)

My 33 students, along with some green thumbers listening to THE Bryce Lane. 🙂

Ryan Kennedy is a graduate of Gray’s Creek High School and a row crop farmer. Within the two years, he has formed S&K Growers and began selling seasonal ornamental plants and vegetables. He has four contracts with local restaurants to supply their winter produce (tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce.) He utilizes two greenhouse to sell his plants and he heats them with corn from the row crop farmer.

Mr. Kennedy showing the students his boiler system for greenhouse heat. (I swear that I had more pictures…but my phone ate them!)

The great thing about S&K Growers is that anyone can come and pick their own produce on the weekends! How lovely! The average price for a tomato is $4 a pound. The students were not shocked by this price yet…..

Our afternoon visit was led by Geraldine and Brooke Herring, a strong mother-daughter team that are great at marketing their farm and giving tours! The Herring Farm is a field vegetable farm and peach orchard. The students were able to analyze the difference in growth practices and produce prices between this farm and S&K Growers from earlier in the day. The Herrings grow and sell every summer vegetable imaginable, muscadine grapes, nectarines, and peaches. They have their own permanent roadside stand and will begin operating their own CSA program this summer. They also sell fall and winter vegetables using a “pick and pay honor system.”

We toured the peach orchard and discussed pruning techniques and cultural practices.

The peach orchard with over 3,000 peach trees! 

BEAUTIFUL blossoms! Feel free to download this and use it as a wallpaper on this beautiful spring day- you’re welcome!

Mr. Roy, the man behind the scenes, paid a visit to show the students the black plastic application equipment that they use for most row vegetables.

Geraldine and Brooke led a discussion about their spring and summer vegetables. They discussed the labor, timeline, and marketing involved in selling their produce. They told the students about their passion for farming, but that they know they will never be rich. The Herring Farm is in Robeson County, the third poorest county in the nation. They are not able to charge a high amount for their produce and still remain competitive. For example, they charge $1.00 per pound of tomatoes (Remember, Mr. Kennedy sells his $4.00 per pound in the Fayetteville market).  Students were able to see the difference that market and informed customers can make in the slim profit margin in farming.

After our vegetable discussion, I saw an older Winter Collard patch and asked Mrs. Geraldine if the student’s could “taste test” fresh collards from the field. She said, “Sure! We are about to till those into the ground anyway- go ahead and cut them down and take them home with you!” The students shot weird glances to one another as if they were thinking, “Just take a whole collard plant, right now?!” One student wasn’t controlled by what his peers thought and jumped right in. Soon, the other students began to realize the “cool factor” of free plants and jumped right in!

Look at how happy they are!

Before we knew it, nearly every student had cut down a free head of collards to take home to their families.

Check out the “Cool Collard” Group! Yes, I’m grinning with that group!

We thanked the Herrings for their generosity and kindness and returned back to Gray’s Creek. Upon our return, we compared the prices for tomatoes and cucumbers of the two “local farmers” with two local supermarkets. Students found that Mr. Kennedy had the high prices, while the Herrings had the lowest prices around; however, customers have to wait until the peak of summer to reach that low price.

I am thankful for generous extension agents and farmers, my fabulous school system, and students that are eager to learn about agriculture and what it means for our society.

Let’s face it: A majority of teenagers in today’s world HATE  reading anything longer than 140 characters. Unfortunately (13 characters) for these teenagers, most reflection and true learning occurs through reading and discussion of much longer passages.

I LOVE reading and therefore I LOVE to cause great discomfort to my students in the classroom. Discomfort= growth!

Two years ago, my agriculture teaching partner introduced me to an amazing documentary style novel called, Animal Vegetable Miracle, (I simply call it AVM) by Barbara Kingsolver. Mrs. Kingsolver tells the story, along with some commentary by her husband and nineteen year old daughter, about their journey through one year in which they only ate foods that they could either grow or obtain from with their county in the Appalachian mountains. Kingsolver is a brilliant, witty, and very real author. She uses their journey to explain the economical, environmental, and nutritional reasons for supporting local farmers and local food options. She presents a very detailed side to the local foods argument. Many farmers would call her “left minded,” but she opens up the discussion for local food practices being applied on a national, or even global, scale.

My students are completing a semester long book study on AVM. We hold class discussions, complete individual reflections, and the students try to understand her humor. (By the way, for the first time EVER, I have a student who gets ALL of her jokes!) Check out these lovely kiddos reading on a sunny, early spring day…

What is better than reading outside?!

I am so glad to be able to incorporate this book study into my KFP curriculum. I am even more glad to see another semester’s worth of students get a glimpse into what it is really like to eat the food you grow.  Oh, and yes, I am glad about our “End of Semester Book Party” in which students prepare local food dishes based on seasonal ingredients in May….let the strawberry desserts roll in!

I have a passion for making life complicated.  That is why I chose to make not one, but four lessons based on my Kenan Fellows Experience.  Each of these lessons last three to five, ninety minute class periods…yes, I know, I make my life complicated. BUT, despite the complications, it has been a true pleasure to create my curriculum on local food production. I have been incorporating various activities from the lessons in my Advanced Agriculture Studies class this semester. This course consists of Juniors and Seniors that have taken multiple levels of agriculture classes.  I use this course to focus on community agriculture awareness activities, modern agriculture practices, agriculture policy, and local food production education.  I LOVE the freedom with this course and I am having a blast getting their “feedback” on my curriculum.

Over the next few blog posts, I am going to share a few of the activities we are using in class.

The first lesson in my curriculum involves identifying the key terminology around local food production and understanding what makes food “local.”  The first activity of the lesson involved students mapping the origin of their favorite meal. They then reflected on the transportation, aka “food miles,” in their meal. After discussing local food terminology and comparing food production practices and processes, my students were graced with a visit from a local farmer!

Mr. Jim Griffith is a local bee farmer who has recently decided to also pursue vegetable production for local restaurants. Jim’s Bees has the FINEST honey in Southeastern North Carolina. Mr. Griffith is ready to share his beekeeping knowledge with others and greatly enlightened my students on the joys and discomforts of beekeeping. My students led the discussion and enabled Mr. Griffith to share his desire to source local ingredients for local businesses, a “win-win” situation for our economy and environment. It was a fantastic experience to see my students make a connection between our lesson in the classroom and a real world situation and person.

Mr. Griffith left each student with a free “honey bear” and an offer to “learn beekeeping or garden weeding” with him this summer. I am so thankful for farmers like Mr. Griffith and for my passionate students.

Whether recognize these symbols or not, what they represent is forming the minds of our youth each day. They form the opinions, style, thoughts, and culture of pre-teens, teenagers, young adults, and even savvy seniors in our American society.

Many teachers oppose the use of social media in the classroom because of the fear of a distractions or cyber bullying.

Many teachers lose the use of social media because it is a “hobby” of most students.

Regardless of a teacher’s opinion on the matter, you cannot change the fact that 64% of internet users have social media profiles and over half of social media users utilize Facebook. Our culture is changing and we must adapt in a way that best meets the needs of our students.

Social media in the classroom is a fine line to walk….don’t fall off!

The Kenan Fellows Program has taught me that even though I am alone in my classroom when teaching- I am never alone in my profession. This program has made me aware of the resources available to teachers….technology, curriculum, and friends!

I will no longer approach a unit of curriculum in my classroom without first asking the following questions:

“What careers do this unit relate to?”

“What organization/business/ or individual could help me find more information on this topic?”

“How can I involve technology into this lesson?”

Each of these questions will help my students prepare for the “real world,” and no, I don’t mean the television show.

I thank the Kenan Fellows Program for opening my eyes to the world outside of my classroom.

I don’t think I look like a Grandmother, but looks can be deceiving I suppose…

Seriously, the preservation of foods, especially canning, is a valuable, but long lost skill that we all need if we want to get serious about “living locally.” I have been canning for four years (since I was married in 2014…what are the odds??), but I attended two of Janice Field’s, my Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent Mentor, canning classes to pick up some extra tips. I was surprised at some of the food safety guidelines that I did not know. I’m a “self-taught canner” so I found quite a few things that I didn’t teach myself!

Canning is a great way to preserve fruits, vegetables, and even meats. It helps retain nutrients and is cheap! The surprising thing is that ANYONE CAN DO IT! Just take my advice and GIVE IT A TRY! Even if you don’t have a garden, go to your local farmer’s market and purchase something.  Most grocery stores (even Walmart if you shop there) have canning supplies. You don’t need a ton of fancy gadgets- just a large, solid-bottom pot for a hot water bath (best for jams, jellies, and pickled items) and a nifty “jar grabber” like this one…

The United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, has a Complete Guide to Home Canning that is fantastic! You can find it here: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

I am in the process of developing a canning lab for my “Local Foods Production Curriculum” and I hope my students will enjoy learning some “Grandma skills.”

My fellowship experience has provided two things for my students in the classroom: resources and passion.

The Cooperative Extension service is one of the best kept secrets in any state in our nation. Extension agents are problem solvers, advisers, coaches, supporters, teachers, listeners, field experts, and so much more. They are available to the public and especially to teachers and students. I have made valuable connections that I can use in my classroom and that I can encourage my students and their families to use in the future.

As I posted in my “Aha” blog post. Passion is necessary for a local foods movement to begin in our nation. This fellowship has reignited my passion for agriculture and supporting our local farmer. Passion is contagious. My students will witness this in my classroom and I hope it will inspire them to find their own way to support our nation’s farmers.

Choices versus Lifestyle Changes

My journey towards this fellowship started two years ago when I began teaching Advanced Agriculture Studies at Gray’s Creek High School. This course, comprised of seniors that have taken all other agriculture courses, does not have a state mandated curriculum. I decided to divide the course into three main units:

• Career Preparation
• Leadership Skills in Promoting Agriculture Awareness
• Real Life Agriculture

I have spent the last two years teaching my seniors about the realities of agriculture production. We have read, observed, and viewed the opinions of “both sides- left and right” of the agriculture field. We have discussed CAFOs, organic methods, subsidies, the world food system, and local food production. Together, we read a book called “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver about living and eating “locally” for one year. It is this activity that helped me develop a passion for understanding local food systems, their benefits, and the realities of “making it happen.”

Even though my students have had four years of agriculture education, they still do not fully understand the challenges in agriculture or why they should be passionate about it. By the end of each Spring semester, most of them are eager to learn more and that they are compelled to live “locally”….. when it is convenient to them. I wish that I could spend more time changing their heart so that they could make better decisions with their mind.

This summer, I have seen this same thought process among the public. They don’t understand the importance of local agriculture and therefore, they do not have a passion to support it.  Yes, there are people that buy vegetables at the farmer’s market on the weekend, but they still stock up on canned green beans every Monday at the grocery store. We live in a society of CONVENIENCE.  This is a LIFESTYLE that does not change with one simple CHOICE to visit the farmer’s market and buy a few tomatoes.

A local foods lifestyle change involves asking yourself the following questions EACH AND EVERY DAY:

•  Is the food I buy or consume today good for my health?
• Is the food I buy or consume today good for my local economy?
• Is the food I buy or consume today good for the environment?

Unfortunately, the public will not ask these questions until they are taught the importance of local agriculture and develop a passion for its sustainability.

The Local Foods Movement is an old idea that has been getting a “reboot” in the last decade. There are many government agencies and non-profit organizations that are promoting local food production. Farmers are working diligently to increase their customer base. Local citizens want fresh food. The only problem is that local schools have no set curriculum on local food production and its benefits. Our future generations don’t yet have a platform to fully explore their food choices.

It is challenging to develop a plan for a curriculum in which there is not set standard of information. There is an abundance of research, small “kiddy” activities, and promotional information. However, there is not a set document that showcases all necessary information that citizens should know about local foods and agriculture systems.

This makes my job difficult, yet worthwhile. I have the opportunity to pull from a variety of resources and make a curriculum that comprises a HUGE variety of knowledge on local foods production. I can put my CRAZY twist on things!

I have will be successful because I have dedicated mentors that have worked with farmers and agriculture systems for years. They are guiding me to find the information that my students need to know in order to develop a passion for local food production.

No, a CSA is not a rainbow of matching baskets full of vegetables. Aren’t they pretty, though?

CSA is common acronym that stands for Community Supported Agriculture, but it means so many things to so many people. The main purpose of any CSA is for farmers to have a more direct line to consumers in addition to the traditional roadside produce stand or farmer’s market. This idea presents itself in many different forms.

A CSA program could be…

-One farming family that enroll two dozen community members to “subscribe” to produce year round.

-An individual that sets up a network between farmers and community members. The individual organizes the program, markets the program, collects items and prepares the boxes, and makes a profit from the produce sold.

-A cooperative in which farmers and local citizens are members of a campaign to distribute local produce. This is a non-profit format that reaps benefits to all involved. A local example of this type of program is the “Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative.” Check them out at www.sandhills.deliverybizpro.com

-A group of farmers that come together and offer a variety of produce in the form of baskets or boxes to a subscribed community members.

I am a member of two CSA programs, the Sandhills program mentioned above and the Robeson County Farmer’s Market CSA. On July 2, 2014, I was able to spend time with the manager of the Robeson CSA, Ann Marie Hatcher, in order to understand the “behind-the-scenes” operation of a CSA.

The Robeson County Farmer’s Market CSA Program is a unique blend of other CSA programs.  First, farmers in Robeson County must become annual members of the Robeson County Farmer’s Market (let’s call it RCFM because who doesn’t love acronyms?!). This allows them to sell at the market in Lumberton, NC any time of the week throughout the growing season. Advertised market times are Wednesday from 9am-Noon and Saturdays from 7am-Noon. In order to become members, they must be certified by the RCFM board of a local extension agent. The certification simply shows tha the farmers lives in Robeson County and is growing the actual produce that they wish to sell. This is an important regulation that many “farmer’s markets” do not use. The RCFM board is comprised of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Mrs. Hatcher, who organizes the CSA program, is the RCFM Board Secretary. There is also a market manager that takes care of the market grounds and is paid a stipend by the Robeson Extension Office.

Once the farmer’s are members of the market, they have the opportunity to provide produce for the CSA program.  Local citizens are encouraged to sign up for the CSA and there is an application process for each “growing season” throughout the year. Mrs. Hatcher receives a very small percentage of the sales in order to manage and organize the CSA.

The RCFM CSA members can purchase weekly boxes that contain produce ($65 a session), beef ($70 a session), or egg ($11 a session) shares produced in Robeson County. This CSA is the CHEAPEST and BEST QUALITY program I have ever seen. The all-natural, antibiotic-free beef is supplied by Moore Brother’s Farm. It is absolutely delicious!

This year, there are over 40 different CSA members and they can pick up at two locations. Members receive a list of their produce sources. This promotes the local farmers and encourages sales at their own farms. Volunteers help to pack each box before pick-up times on Wednesdays.

This RCFM CSA program is testament to the passion and work ethic of our local farmers and the support of the community. CSA programs are benefit to everyone involved. Join one today!